The Billionaire: Forbidden Sex Love

Her scent hit me first. Something I’d been smelling since this morning, but now that my face was near her neck, I could take a long, deep inhale of that fall pumpkin perfume. My arms wrapped around her back, her jacket thin enough that her bra strap was teasing my fingers, and so was the heat of her skin. Her hair tickled my cheeks as I got in closer, her body molding against mine.

Goddamn it, I missed this.

The feel of her.

The feeling inside me when she was in my arms.

“You’re going to have so many amazing memories in that house,” she whispered, squeezing my shoulders before she pulled away.

I didn’t want to let her go.

I didn’t want her to fall from my grasp.

But she was moving to the other side of the backseat, and it’d happened far too fast.

I didn’t know what came over me, but as I looked at her gorgeous face, I said, “Do you want to go see it?”

She instantly nodded. “I would love to.”

I gave the driver the address, and he headed for the road that took us up the steep mountain edge. When he parked in the driveway, Jo got out of the SUV first.

“The pictures didn’t do it justice,” she said, staring at the large two-story contemporary design.

The house was done in shades of slate and charcoal, and stone covered different parts of the exterior, adding to the unique construction.

“This house, Jenner”-she took a breath-“is so dreamy.”

I walked with her to the front door, entering the code my realtor had texted me. Once I had it open, I let her go in first.

“Holy fuck,” she gasped, her neck immediately tilting back as she took in the tall ceiling. “This is spectacular.”

She moved through the large foyer and past the living room, stopping at the back of the house. This section was all glass, revealing a view similar to what the hotel would have, the scenery just of a different angle of the mountain range and the dips and valleys below.

I opened the door for her, and she walked out onto the patio.

“Jenner …” She paused, almost like she was breathless. “This is a dream.” She finally turned toward me, my stare already on her. “It’s nice to see you smiling again. I mean, really smiling.”

There was only one thing causing my grin, and it wasn’t the house.

JOANNA

“S

o, you’re on your way back,” my father said from the speaker of Jenner’s phone, where it was resting on the table between our seats.

“We’re about to be, yes,” I said. “The pilots are doing their final check, and we’ll be taking off any minute.”

“I know I’ve mentioned this already, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the work you two have accomplished this week. I just read the email from our architect, and his initial thoughts from your meeting are quite impressive,” my father said. “And, Jenner, I don’t know how you scored us that price. I was expecting a seven or eight percent decrease, but fifteen? Unbelievable job.”

“Joanna was an incredible help,” Jenner said, his eyes only on me.

I was pleasantly surprised when he’d chosen to sit across from me rather than on the other side of the aisle, like on the way here. But that meant there were only two places to look-out the window or at him.

And no matter how hard I tried, his handsome face completely owned my vision.

“I might have steered the realtor’s direction, but the meeting with the architect was all Joanna,” Jenner continued. “She has quite a vision for this hotel.”

“I see that,” my father said. “The architect mentioned it’s going to be my best property. Jenner, do you agree?”

“I do,” he replied. “You know I’m rather biased when it comes to Utah; however, I don’t think that’s the sole reason. There’s an elegance about this land, and the ideas that Joanna implemented are unlike anything this area has ever seen. Walter, your hotel is going to be a piece of art.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

My father wasn’t the type to praise one’s efforts, only point out their weaknesses. I certainly wasn’t expecting his compliments or Jenner’s.

But something had changed during this trip.

The way he looked at me.

The way he treated me.

“I’ll see you both in my office tomorrow morning for a recap,” my father said.

“We’ll be there,” I replied.

“Have a safe flight,” my father added before he hung up.

Jenner returned the phone to his pocket and watched me as the plane began to move toward the runway.

“Can I get you anything before takeoff, Miss Spade?” the flight attendant asked from the aisle.

I held my coffee in my hand, and some snacks were on the table behind me that I’d already dug into. “I’m all set. Thank you.”

“And for you, Mr. Dalton?”

He gave a similar answer, and we were suddenly alone again.

“Thank you,” I said softly, the plane picking up speed. “You didn’t have to say any of that to my father, but I appreciate it.”

His hand rubbed over the side of his beard. “I was just speaking the truth.”

I set my coffee in the holder and wrapped my arms around my stomach. “The night before we met with him, I had this dream about the hotel. I saw it clear as day, and I actually woke up and wrote it all down.” I shrugged. “I didn’t know if my thoughts would translate or if my ideas would even work, but I think it’s worth trying.”

“I’m not the only one who thinks it’s going to work. I’m positive the architect does too.” He pulled out his phone, tapping the screen a few times before he started to read from it. “You weren’t kidding, Jenner. She’s a true visionary and certainly the most creative person on Walter’s team. This design isn’t just going to attract; it’s going to win awards.” He glanced up. “I’ve known him for a long time. We exchanged a few emails after our meeting.”

“And now, I’m speechless.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself, Jo. You might be fresh out of college and a novice in this industry, but you were born to do this.”

I couldn’t help but notice how he fluctuated between my full name and nickname. I tried to decipher which he liked saying more and what occasion caused the difference.

But I couldn’t.

I could only concentrate on his gaze.

“That means a lot to me,” I whispered.

The plane lifted off the ground, and I looked out the window, watching us get closer to the clouds. “It’s been fun, working with you on this project.”

A heat filled my cheeks when our eyes connected. It seemed his stare never left me-something he’d been doing more frequently the past couple days.

“You know, part of me thought you might strangle me during this trip. I’m glad you didn’t.” I winked. “We make a good team, Jenner.”

We were just starting to level out in the air when he said, “I’m beginning to realize that too.”

My chest ached from the look on his face, the intensity in his eyes.

I almost couldn’t breathe.

“You know what else I’ve realized?”

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak.

“How much I miss you.”